


Ugh, Teenagers

by fatcr0w



Series: Before you arrive [1]
Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types, Pocket Monsters: Sword & Shield | Pokemon Sword & Shield Versions
Genre: M/M, Mutual Pining, Pining, Puberty, Teen Angst, no beta we die like men, stupidly in a pit of commas
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-25
Updated: 2020-03-05
Packaged: 2021-02-27 14:26:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,117
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22398541
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fatcr0w/pseuds/fatcr0w
Summary: Leon's a good kid and a prime example of champion behavior. He kept up with his studies, his private tutor had nothing but good things to say about him. He didn't get into trouble with dating wildly or breaking the law. Every move he made was perfect...Except for one thing.His ruthlessly efficient battling is starting to affect the league, and Chairman Rose has to hurry up and figure out how to appease his greatest asset before the champion implodes and takes the entire league with him.Tags to be updated, but this story is T for language, teenage thoughts, and one (1) smooch.
Relationships: Dande | Leon/Kibana | Raihan
Series: Before you arrive [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1612102
Comments: 20
Kudos: 113





	1. Imported Leather

**Author's Note:**

> This story takes place during the time between Leon taking the championship and the start of the game. Oh, and I haven't played it so if I really mess up the lore let me know~~

No matter how conscientious and well behaved a child was, there was always a period of time where they became simply insufferable. Growing up is hard, always has been. Society makes very little room for the liminal space between childhood and adults but teenagers have it rather hard. There are a lot more requirements and responsibilities and a lot fewer explanations and a lot less forgiveness for wetting the bed. 

Chairman Rose tried his very best to understand that. Honestly, before Leon, he hadn't put much stock into the popular concept of teenagers as cranky toddlers with better motor skills. Hadn't. Past tense. He saw plenty of merit in it now as the fifteen-year-old sulked on his expensive handcrafted imported tauros leather office couch. With his feet up. And his trainers on. His still-muddy from the battle-pitch trainers. 

Hazel eyes met grey as if the young champion dared him to say anything about it. He wouldn't. With a four-year uninterrupted win streak, Leon was the envy of every region. It was important to keep him happy led the "retire" from the region and take up in any one of the other leagues that tried (and failed) to seduce him away. It was his job to keep his prized moneymaker blissful and complacent with his lot. 

Though, that was getting tougher by the day. 

It was easy to impress a ten-year-old with sparkling distractions, a flight with his family to Alola here, a decked-out apartment there. Whatever he wanted whenever he wanted. However as the years passed on and the fortune and fame became less novel, the champion became less content. 

Leon wasn't ungrateful, no. Far from it. In fact, Leon was one of the most frugal champions in league history. Most of his salary went to his mother, who kept a trust fund and checking account for him to access whenever he was released from champion duties. He wasn't particularly obsessed with collecting fine memorabilia or new gadgets, and generally kept to his small friend circle instead of flaunting his cash around the region. 

He kept up with his studies, his private tutor had nothing but good things to say about him. He didn't get into trouble with dating wildly or breaking the law, and honestly was the prime example of champion behavior. 

Except for one thing. 

"Leon," Rose took a deep breath and tried on his most diplomatic voice, "No one is going to accuse you of not being strong enough to be the Galar Champion. But they are going to have some very valid concerns about your battlefield tactics." 

"The tapes have been investigated up down and backward. I won fair and square," Leon barked, crossing his arms, "Not my fault the challenger flubbed." 

"It was always clear you were going to win Leon, but at the very least you could have held back?" 

"Why should I?! The way everyone hyped them up I thought I'd have a real battle for once! Why would I even bother if it's all just for show? I didn't become champion just to look good." 

"You'd be a terrible gym leader" 

"Then it's a good thing I'm just the champion eh? I get locked up like a winter ornament until it's time for the championship battle and even then you want me to hold off? Fine you telling that to me, but what about my pokemon? They'd hate me if I made them hold back just cause you asked nicely." 

Rose pinched the bridge of his nose. This was the crux of the problem. Leon didn't know or rather, didn't WANT to know how to hold back. This hadn't been a problem with previous champions as their skill was on par with their peers. Though the champion title was at the summit of Galar training, it was always supposed to be achievable. 

Achievable sold tickets. Achievable inspired the masses, made people hungry to sign up and see just how close they could get to toppling the king. 

Impossible just scared everyone away. The past few years of the champion's cup may as well have been reruns for as much excitement they generated. Forget defeat. No one could even KO one of Leon's pokemon. It was a complete stomping of each and every challenger who made it to the final pitch. 

This recent year had been the worst of all. Leon hadn't even bothered dynamaxing and routed his opponent, a rather pale kid from Spikemuth with a strange but endearing fashion sense. The press had loved him and his inspiring story of trying to revitalize his hometown and was ready to milk that angle for months. 

Until Leon blew his team away in barely ten minutes. They hadn't even made it to the first planned commercial break! Oleana was pulling her hair out about the thousands of refund requests and sponsors upset they didn't even get their ad spot. 

Even worse, they'd barely had enough legitimate challengers to make it to the champion's cup in the end. Next year would probably look even worse. Quick polls of young trainers around the region showed that most kids were simply too afraid to even try. 

Sure Leon was majestic and inspiring, his image as the pinnacle of trainer ability had only improved as he grew taller and broader. He was starting to put on muscle now that he spent more time in the weight room than the battle pitch. He was reaching the age where teen gossip and fashion magazines wanted to know if he was dating, and photoshoots stopped making him look so cherubic (something his mother disapproved of). Interviewers started taking his statements more seriously and his morning talk show appearances weren't so heavy on the cute factor anymore. 

But as Rose regarded the pouting lump of a trainer jiggling his knees and therefore working mud deeper into his 

Expensive

Imported

Tauros

_LEATHER_

\- couch, he felt that the champion of Galar was still most definitely a spoiled child.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Leon flexed his fingers open and closed into a fist as he left Rose's office in what he hoped was a calm swagger. If it looked more like a petulant stomp, Oleana didn't mention it. 

"Your train ticket has been sent to your Rotomphone Champion Leon. We have you completely clear until preseason, so enjoy your vacation." 

Leon nodded, putting on his best champion smile as he stepped towards the entrance of Rose Tower. He wanted to rage and throw a fit, but frowning would damage his "Champion Image" whatever that meant. A valet and chauffeur waited in the front lot while Tower security kept the paparazzi back. 

It was a song and dance that had become familiar after four years. Every question asked was pre-mediated, and every statement was practiced. 

"Champion Leon! What do you think of Challenger Piers gaining permit to open a gym in Spikemuth?"

"I think it's amazing that Galar will have the only Dark-type gym in any major region. I look forward to what he can do when he leans into his chosen Pokemon typology." 

Another voice piped up, "Champion Leon! Any fun offseason plans?" 

"Spending time with my family, and training for next season! I am excited to see what challenges next year's contenders bring me!" 

"But champion Leon," another voice filled with a bit more disdain than fawning yelled over the crowd, "No one's been good enough to challenge you, right? Why are you even still bothering to train? Do you just enjoy smearing your opponents across the field? Don't you think it's a little cruel?" 

Leon clenched his fist but his signature smile didn't waver, not even slightly. Rose and Oleana had predicted this question as well. 

"I train because I respect every trainer that works their way to the top. I can't hold back if I want to give Galar's best a champion time!" 

He finished with his signature Charizard flourish and the paps went wild taking photos as he climbed into the cab and was briskly whisked away. 

When the flashing lights of cameras faded to the familiar streets of Wyndon, Leon's face fell back into his petulant pout. 

Champion time. Yea right. Everyone got to have a champion time _except_ him. If he'd have known how suffocating being a champion was four years ago, he'd have taken up research with Sonia!

Just as he had that thought he squashed it. He loved battling too much to do anything else. The thrill of the crowd, the rush of adrenaline, the risk behind every call and the power of every hit were what got him up in the morning!

Except now his mornings were all plans and schedules for cereal commercials and Pokeball endorsements. And when he DID get to step on the battlefield it was so one-sided that he may as well have not shown up. 

His battle with Piers had been the shortest in championship history but the dark-trainer had managed to come closer to a challenge than anyone else had in the four years he's defended his title. It was simply unfortunate that he refused to dynamax, giving Leon a ridiculous advantage. 

He'd like to rematch him on the proposed Spikemuth Gym rules when he took the reins after his trainee period under Opal was over. 

But would that really be enough of a challenge? 

Leon pulled his arm across his chest to stretch his throwing shoulder. it was a nervous habit that was far less destructive than chewing his gloves. He felt like a corviknight in a box built for a corvisquire, pressed in on all sides. 

He had so much energy that he couldn't get out. He'd work out for hours on days when he couldn't get out to the wild area and run free. Days that were becoming more and more common. The treadmill was fine when his exhibition matches wouldn't take his breath away. Pull-ups made him feel the strain of something challenging when his opponent's pokemon dropped like flies. But still, it wasn't enough. Not really. 

All he wanted was a challenge on the battlefield. All he wanted was to feel alive again. 

But he hadn't felt any of that in so long. He hadn't felt any of that since the last time he saw cerulean blue eyes across the pitch. 

Leon's head thunked into the window of the cab as he sighed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> piers bb i'm so sorry you're a great trainer and i love you


	2. Exhilaration

_Five years ago_

Leon was breathless. Absolutely and truly breathless. He paused to hold his hand over his heart as he pulled out his final Pokeball. It was thundering like a Mudsdale stampede, about to break through the fence of his ribcage. He didn't even feel like this when he took down the reigning champion at the semifinals. Yes, that battle had been hard, but not like this.

Nothing like this.

For the first time in his young life, Leon was unsure if he'd win.

He'd battled Raihan before on their journey to the champion's cup. He'd won every time by narrower and narrower margins until they reached the final pitch. Now they were both here with their strongest pokemon and somehow, someway, Raihan still had surprises.

The weather?! He changed the weather in the stadium, whipping up a sandstorm to his advantage. It was exhilarating and wild, just like Raihan. He wasn't the only one impressed. Even Charley had an excited glint in her eye as she was released into the fray.

It went into overtime with no clear advantage until Charley landed a final, lucky, _critical_ hit.

The cameras managed to capture Leon's exhilarated scream as the smoke cleared and Charley stood triumphant. The viral news video, of course, thought it was the thrill of becoming the youngest champion of Galar. But Leon knew it was more than that. The battle had charged his entire soul full of lightning. He was only ten! All that emotion couldn't fit in his tiny bod for very long. The only thing he _could_ do was scream.

He remembered trying to run across the pitch towards Raihan just to get some of the electricity out of his system. But the crowd had swept him up and away before he even made contact.

* * *

  
_Two years ago_

Five years on, most of what happened after was a blur, but he clearly remembered how desperately he'd hoped that every battle after would be just as good as the one he'd just had. Win or lose, he couldn't feel anything but exhilaration after that.

Unfortunately, he learned very quickly that champions do the very least amount of battling in the region. Unlike Kanto and Hoenn which had to deal with the long arm of Team Rocket, Galar was relatively peaceful. The champion was on call for any disasters and couldn't run around the wild area or challenge all of the gyms outside of the official season. Instead, the rambunctious ten-year-old had to sit on his hands and learn to sit up straight, smile without squinting, always say the right things, and otherwise be a role model for the region.

It was excruciating, but it was worth it. Or at least it felt worth it when he watched Raihan blaze his way through the gym leaders again and again, clawing his way to the top to challenge him with a new team, a new strategy every time.

In his first year defending his title, Raihan switched his pokemon before fainting to throw Leon off his count, forcing him to learn to memorize not only his own team's HP but his opponent's.

The next year Raihan showed up with a team he'd been raising from eggs for the past two years, with bonds to these pokemon even stronger than those in the wild.

Leon had been beside himself with glee to see the challengers for his third year defending, already making charts and running through options on just exactly how he'd challenge Raihan this year. And maybe after the battle they could hang out together, share training tips and talk about their high-level strategies.

But the third battle just... didn't happen. When the row of fresh-faced trainees marched through onto the field, there was no Trapinch headband, no dragon spike hair, no bright blue eyes. No Raihan.

Leon's disappointment had shown on his face for just a moment and the paparazzi had a field day. Rose had lectured him for an hour about decorum when the papers plastered his frown across the front page.

But it all went in one ear and out the other while the same words replayed in his head.

"I thought you knew! I know I told you," Raihan's voice squeaked and cracked as he hit the smooth painted wall of the field tunnel. He had another growth spurt, taller than Rose now but the rest of his body hadn't widened to accommodate it.

He'd appeared in the tunnel, beyond the lockers having snuck in somehow. He was dressed in the trainers' athletic uniform, but the color was all wrong. Not Galarian white but navy and orange. A callback to the ancient dragon trainer's flight harness. The distinctive uniform of the Lance Dragon Trainers school.

Before he could think, Leon shoved his rival with all his might. Raihan may have been bigger at first glance, but Leon was stocky and could tackle with the best pokemon. It was all the dragon trainer could do to stay standing, and a good thing that the cameras didn't follow the gym leaders on their way out.

"You said it was a visit!" Leon's voice cracked. He wasn't sure if it was emotion or more of the 'wonders of puberty' his private tutor had droned on about.

Raihan rolled his eyes, "I was visiting because I wanted to see the school for myself! I wanted to... see if I'd fit in! I told you my plans! I thought you were just being too nice to mention it."

He was right. Raihan _had_ told Leon about the dragon trainers schools. He'd been offered a visa, full ride, and living expenses on the same day as his first loss to Leon. The scouts from Hoenn hadn't even been the only ones to try and drag Raihan away to their region. Their championship battle had been unprecedented, and honestly game-changing.

Despite losing the championship, Raihan was a magnificent trainer that was envied by a lot of other regions. Regions with space for powerhouses to grow outside of the shadow of prodigies. Regions that didn't forget the trainer's achievements the moment they lost.

Regions that weren't Galar.

There was a whisper of a memory. He was being hoisted above someone's shoulders as the crowd surged around him after his win. At his new elevation, he could see all the way into the tunnel. This same tunnel. Raihan stood nervously as an older teen and stern adult patted him and shook his hand. The lights had been blinding but he remembered. The teen was dressed in the same colors that Raihan wore now.

It was a week before he even spoke to Raihan again due to the whirlwind of interviews and paperwork. He expected to see his newest and best friend a bit sad, or even angry about the loss. Instead, he seemed to be the one interrupting.

Raihan was in a study room of the Hammerlocke library with a stack of pamphlets and business cards lined out on the table. It was a familiar setup, the same he used for planning his Pokemon teams before challenging a gym.

"What are you deciding on?"

"I don't know really. I got a lot of offers to go train in other regions."

"Oh! That will be good. But you can't use non-Galarian pokemon in your league battles."

Raihan had laughed at that, "Well duh! I just want to learn about foreign tactics."

Leon let out a bark at that," You can't use Z-moves in the Galar league either, dummy."

"Alola doesn't even have a league, why would I train there."

"Because it's beautiful! I'm going to take mum there with the league winnings. She's always wanted to go."

Raihan nodded, "It'll be good for her."

"And it'll be good for you to get some fresh air! You should come with us. We can try battling only with Alolan pokemon!"

"Are you saying I can't beat you with good old fashioned Galarians?"

"Well you haven't yet," Leon returned with a stick of his tongue.

That may have been the wrong thing to say, but children are never born with perfect empathy. It's learned after making mistakes.

Leon's heartfelt a pang after Raihan's easy smile deflated, "Yea they don't call you the undefeated champion for nothing"

"Rai I'm sorry I didn't-"

Raihan shrugged, "It's true. I haven't beat you. I've had to work so hard just to come close, and you're only going to get stronger."

"Rai! You're going to get stronger too! Remember you promised"

"I know! I did promise. But you are the champion. I... I didn't think smart enough. I didn't have any backup plan."

"You're the smartest kid I know Rai..."

"Just smart doesn't cut it in the real world," Raihan said. It didn't sound like something he'd come up with himself. It didn't sound like something a barely-eleven-year-old would even think about.

Leon bit his lips, wanting to talk but not knowing what to say.

"I..." Raihan's eyes looked watery through the Rotom's screen, but he closed his eyes and shook it off, schooling his face back into the casual nonchalance Leon had become familiar with.

"I'm just... keeping my options open"more stilted speech," Trainer schools are only eligible until you're thirteen anyway. I'll see how it feels then."

After he'd confirmed that Raihan wasn't running away in a fit after losing, the entire conversation had slipped Leon's mind. But for Raihan it was at the forefront of his mind for the past two and a half years.

Leon's hands were shaking as he gripped the navy fabric of Raihan's shirt. It was slippery polyester. Brand new, a bit too large on his wiry frame and smelling of industrial detergent. Fresh out of the bag. Not even washed. The crest of LDS sat proudly over Raihan's heart, not Galar.

"I'll be thirteen in a month. I am actually delaying the start date to come see you. They let me start a week late on account of us being friends but I'm already so far behind and-"

"That's an excuse! You don't even need to go to a stupid training school! You're already better than them! You promised to be _my_ rival!"

Raihan's face twisted into a snarl, a dangerous light glinting off his dragon-like teeth. "Just because _you_ decided I'm your rival doesn't mean I can't do anything else! Just because you're champion...Not everything has to revolve around you!"

He pushed back and Leon went stumbling, falling flat on his butt. Raihan towered impossibly tall. Impossibly distant. From this angle he couldn't really see Raihan's face, just icy blue eyes shadowed by his bright headband, sparkling differently than usual. Tears.

"I thought you'd be happy for me that I found something _I_ could do, like Sonia. I thought we were friends."

Raihan had turned and run out of the stadium, climbed on the flight to Hoenn, and disappeared from Leon's life entirely.

He'd taken all of the exhilaration with him.

Leon thought he'd get over it in a few days. Friends grew up and moved away, his mum said.

_I know it's hard Sugarpuff. But everyone your age is trying to spread their wings and do their own thing. You're trying too, but it looks different, and that's okay. You won't be the same Leon forever, and he can't be the same Raihan._

But even as Leon threw himself into taking care of his adorable new brother, and taking on more responsibilities as champion, the low thrum of dissatisfaction never seemed to go away.

The train to Postwick rumbled over the Galarian countryside, the teenage champion staring dully out of the window of his private cabin. Hills of green rolled into forests, back out into hills, then back into forests in a maddening repetition and Leon wondered if Raihan was feeling the same frustration thousands of miles away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Can you tell I poke fun at my inability to write children's dialogue ;)


	3. the dragon's lair

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> a snapshot of what Raihan's lifestyle looks like away from Galar

_~The next morning~_

"We've gotten confirmation that the champion arrived safely in Postwick this morning. He's holed up with his mum and security perimeters around the Postwick-Wedgehurst area are confirmed. "

"You've worked hard," Rose said as he accepted his morning order from his favorite cafe. The morning schedule was blessedly clear and he had time to enjoy the view over Wyndon for a moment before diving straight to business. 

"Have you heard back from the Hoenn league?"

Oleana settled into her customary chair and pulled up her Rotom pad, clicking away, "They're willing to set up a video call, but it's going to be a very hard bargain." 

"You're right, which is why we're going to have to take a subtle approach. We can't guarantee that he'll take the bait but..."

"We have to cast it out there," Oleana nodded, "At the very least this Trainee exchange programme will give us a new influx of talent."

"Yes, we can use the Kabu angle. He's beloved in fire training circles." 

Oleana nodded, tapping away again, "Should he be included on the call?"

"Yes. They need to know we're serious about this. The sponsors for this upcoming year are losing confidence in the challengers. Last night was brutal," Rose's eyes veered left as he remembered the private sponsor's gala. The champion hadn't been in attendance and it was up to him to assuage investors fears after the colossal failure of a match broadcast. 

Oleana nodded, "And plan B? All reports show that Raihan is a shining star in Hoenn. His classmates adore him, he's even gotten Lance's attention. And if he didn't want to train, he's only fifteen and has three-hundred thousand followers across Pidgetter and Pokestagram. He could close up shop and be a model." 

Rose pinched the bridge of his nose. Oleana was right. It was a huge, multi-billion Pokeyen gamble balanced on the cotton fluff of teenager's feelings. For the thousandth time since Leon hit his terrible teens, Chairman Rose considered increasing the challenge age to twenty. 

"The only thing we CAN do," He said as he gathered himself, adjusting his tie, "We pray to Arceus that the kid's hormones find someone else to fixate on!"

"Or that he figures himself out, "Oleana offered helpfully.

"That would be a blessing beyond the powers of any legendary. He really thinks it's _battling_ that's gotten him all worked up. Hah!"

* * *

  
Afternoon recess at the Lance Dragon School was designated as a break from school duties between the last class of the day ending no later than four, and dinner served promptly at seven. The children would branch out over the school grounds to do homework, or train, or fly down to Mossdeep proper for snacks and fun. 

Raihan would usually head into town on Tuesdays for his favorite taco special. Burritos were taco priced, and tacos were half off. He could fill up on Meteor Tacos enormous Unova-style portions and not break the bank. His stomach rumbled at the thought, but he stayed put. Headmaster Wisp had asked him to stay on campus after class but hadn't been very clear on why. 

Raihan stretched his long limbs. What the headmaster wanted was a mystery, but not an urgent one. It definitely wasn't a disciplinary action, because the very least punishment for breaking the rules was being put on kitchen duty during afternoon recess. He knew this very well. Even good students got into trouble sometimes. 

No, he wasn't in trouble, but he wasn't free to frolic today either. He was currently holed up in what the librarian called his "lair". The LDS had a respectably sized library, though nothing near the scale of the one back in Hammerlocke. It was built and maintained for the hundreds of kids that would pass through these halls, with comfortable lounge areas and plenty of natural light. Raihan's favorite location was on the western side behind the desks, near the historic and legendary research texts. 

When he'd first come to the school as a scared kid who was too strong and too tall to make friends his own age, he'd spend entire days hiding out in this little-visited corner of the library. He'd surround himself with books and maps and wouldn't leave until one of the library staff or older kids came to round him up for curfew. 

Now, closing out his second year in the program, he didn't need to hide from the other kids because he was shy, but because he was entirely too popular and needed a break sometimes. Sometime during the winter of his first year, out of a mix of boredom and loneliness, Raihan had posted a vlog on JoltikTok where he awkwardly documented how he could see over the bathroom stalls at age thirteen.  
  
The video had become a big hit by sheer luck of the algorithm. His follow count shot up from a few hundred bots and a dozen friends to nearly a quarter-million active engagements overnight. They surged into his Pikagram and Pidgetter and turned him into an internet celebrity overnight. 

Raihan was immediately, irrevocably addicted. How could he not be? For the first time in his life he was getting attention with no strings attached. It wasn't contingent on his battles, or his grades, or how well he could remember the movesets and type advantage combinations of all indexed pokemon in two regions. It wouldn't all go away because he lost a battle, or flubbed a test. It was just because he was Raihan, a very tall kid with a very funny Galarian accent. 

After that, he got a lot more popular at school. The kids had respected his knowledge and battle skills before, but now they found him approachable. For the very first time, he really felt like his lumbering presence wasn't tolerated on account of his battle skills. He felt important. He felt accepted. 

He felt wanted. 

Now Raihan felt that even after his fifteen minutes of fame inevitably ended, he'd at the last enjoy an easy life. After his four years of training school ended he'd have a lot of opportunities. He could become a trainee at any number of dragon gyms, or if he really tried he could achieve the impossible dream of becoming Lance's apprentice. If none of that panned out he still had a lucrative career option of becoming an Ace trainer and traveling the world completely free of league contracts. 

He was fifteen and the world was wide open to him! No doubt Headmaster Whisp had him earmarked for some other opportunity that slid across his desk. Research training, perhaps? The Pokemon moveset list was constantly being updated, and each region kept a staff of smart, high-level trainers on hand to safely guide their pokemon towards discovering new TM and HMs. 

"That would be cool," Raihan whispered aloud to himself.

"What would be cool?" The familiar voice of the fourth-year head prefect Lavee startled Raihan out of his reverie. 

"Oh, I was thinking about my future job!" Raihan turned the book in his hands around to show the TM discovery lab in Johto, "TM discovery trainers don't get a lot of thanks but their job is really cool." 

Lavee laughed, her hands on her hips ,"They are pretty cool, but it gets pretty boring trying the same tests over and over. You've still got a lot of time. Don't let your heart get too set on one thing, real life usually has different plans!" 

Raihan felt his smile waver. He knew that more than most his age, "Yea, it's just one option on my list. We know the real goal is to train under Lance!" 

"Hah! There's only room for one dragon champion's successor, and you know it's going to be me!" Lavee bragged, "You may be a poindexter but you still haven't beaten me in Kanto-style battles." 

"But I've got you in Kalos doubles!" Raihan laughed, "And Coliseum doubles, and-"

Lavee rolled her eyes, "Yes, yes, you're the double battle prodigy of the world. I admit defeat, you little snot. Anyway, Ol' Whispy sent me to fetch you. So clean up your horde and get flying, oh Great Raihan."

Raihan bounced up from his spot, dwarfing Lavee who stood at a mere 155 cm to his current 187. She craned her neck, still not quite used to seeing such a baby face atop such a long noodly body. 

_Teenagers sure are awkward_ , thought the eighteen-year-old sagely as she supervised his cleanup efforts. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lavee is inspired by my niece, age 2, who points to every toddler ages 3-5, and goes "BABY"- despite being in-fact, more baby.


End file.
